The USATF Outdoor Championships never fail to disappoint. This weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, the best track and field athletes in America fought for national titles and the right to represent their country at the World Championships in September.
The audition lived up to the billing, with incredible performances, jaw-dropping races and one moment that sparked debate across the United States.
Donovan Brazier Qualifies For The World Championships …Again
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Donovan Brazier’s return to championship racing after a nearly three-year absence from the professional circuit was a story worth monitoring all weekend long.
Because often, time doesn’t stop for track and field athletes–on the contrary, it will simply pass them by. So it was certainly a fair question to ask how Brazier would fare, considering the 28-year-old had just three races under his belt and needed to perform over three rounds to secure his spot back on the U.S. team.
Early on, Brazier proved he was ready, submitting a semifinal performance of 1:44.39. By the finishing moments of the men’s 800-meter final, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the compassion and support he was given when he not only qualified but won in 1:42.16, finding redemption for years gone by.
Brazier had last competed in the World Championships in 2022 by virtue of his win in 2019, failing to advance out of the heats. On Sunday, his effort was the third-best time in U.S. history and secured him his first bid to a World Championship since 2019, when he last won an international title and was slated to become the sport’s “next best middle-distance runner.”
Things didn’t exactly happen that way. But after transitioning to a new voice in former NAU coach Mike Smith, appointed as one of three Nike Swoosh Track Club coaches in February, and performing well in the lead-up to USAs – which included two efforts under 1:44 at the Portland Track Festival and the London Diamond League – Brazier is now on the road back to stardom.
What a story he has been.
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16-Year-Old Cooper Lutkenhaus Qualifies For The World Championships, Runs Under-18 World Record
We aren’t done with the men’s 800-meter final. In the final straightaway, jaws dropped when 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus began eating up ground–and tying some of the best half-milers in the world
The Texan from Justin Northwest High School eventually passed returning Olympian Brandon Miller, world champion Josh Hoey and Olympic 800-meter fourth-place finisher Bryce Hoppel en route to a second-place finish, scoring a mind-numbing time of 1:42.27.
Behind Brazier, it was the fourth-best effort in U.S. history and a new under-18 record.
Lutkenhaus’ previous best effort was 1:45.45–mind you, a time which was earned in a high school race. In fact, Lutkenhaus himself is only entering his junior year in the fall.
He commented afterward that he was using “middle school tactics,” and that he had only seriously focused on track and field in his freshman year of high school – ostensibly a year ago.
No American teenager in history had ever accomplished what the 16-year-old did on that stage in the 800-meters. Even more impressive, however, was the way he accomplished the feat, with nearly even splits in 50.66 and 51.61 seconds.
Quincy Wilson, the 17-year-old star who reached the Olympics in 2024, is perhaps the only other male teenager who’s accomplished a similar feat in the men’s 400 meters – whereas Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reached the Olympics at 17 in 2016. But even Wilson struggled over the weekend, failing to reach the men’s 400-meter final.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Goes Unbeaten At The USATF Outdoor Championships
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Seasons like the one Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is having are rare.
The 24-year-old sprinter from South Carolina has lost just once all season in an individual race and was unbeaten at 100 meters going into the USATF Outdoor Championships.
By Sunday’s end, she had only reaffirmed that position, securing not just one but two national titles, including an impressive outing in the 200 meters which saw Jefferson-Wooden run away from the field in 21.84 seconds. The performance was the world’s No. 2 time.
In doing so, however, Jefferson-Wooden also outclassed defending Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, who had to settle for third in 22.20.
Meanwhile, Jefferson-Wooden on Friday posted her first win at USAs in the women’s 100 meters, clocking a time of 10.65 that tied for the fifth-best performance in U.S. history.
The U.S. star is on pace for a spectacular World Championships, which could see her potentially chase after a sprint triple. The only question remaining, then, is where the U.S. coaching staff will place Jefferson-Wooden in the 4×100, where she is also expected to star in Tokyo.
Jefferson-Wooden will also have to contend with Olympic 100 meter champion Julian Alfred, whom she beat at the Prefontaine Classic in May, along with reigning 2023 world champion and Olympic silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, who has struggled so far this season.
Shelby Houlihan Returns After 4-Year Ban And Qualifies For Worlds
Four years is a long time to wait.
And yet, by the time Shelby Houlihan was back on the U.S. circuit in February following a 4-year doping ban, it was as if time had never slipped by.
The 32-year-old Houlihan was as sharp as ever, qualifying for a world indoor team that same month at USA Indoors. She then claimed a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China the following month in the women’s 3,000 meters.
On Sunday at Hayward Field, Houlihan followed up her impressive return to the track with her second qualifying run in the women’s 5,000 meters, winning in 15:13.61. Houlihan closed her final 1,000 meters in 2:41.77, showing the kind of speed that’s necessary to compete at an international level.
It marked her first national outdoor title since 2019 and her first outright win since indoors in 2020.
Noah Lyles’ And Kenny Bednarek’s Spat In The Men’s 200-Meter Final
The biggest domestic – and/or global – story to follow the U.S. Outdoor Championships, however, was an action made just after the men’s 200-meter final, when Kenny Bednarek shoved Noah Lyles moments after his victory in 19.63 seconds.
It was the push seen round the world. A beef we didn’t quite understand but surely now realized was there.
In the final meters, Lyles turned to Bednarek and issued a staredown not unlike one you would see at WWE Smackdown. Bednarek, who had won the men’s 100-meter final on Friday in a personal best 9.79 seconds, wasn’t pleased with the action and pushed Lyles just seconds later.
The two exchanged barbs a moment later, and then that discussion followed in the post-race interview with NBC’s Lewis Johnson.
Afterward, Lyles declined to comment on the encounter in the mixed zone, citing his coach’s advice. But Bednarek did not mince words.
“I’ve said it for years, Noah is going to be Noah. If he wants to tear me down, that’s fine. But I ran five rounds. He’s fresh. He can line up again and we’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens,” Bednarek said. “I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Both are expected to contend for world titles in both the 100- and 200-meters in Tokyo. Both could also, feasibly, team together in the 4×100.
SportsMoney, /sportsmoney, Business, /business, standard The USATF Outdoor Championships never fail to disappoint. This weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, the best track and field athletes in America fought for national titles and the right to represent their country at the World Championships in September.
The audition lived up to the billing, with incredible performances, jaw-dropping races and one moment that sparked debate across the United States.
Donovan Brazier Qualifies For The World Championships …AgainEUGENE, OREGON – AUGUST 03: Gold medalist Donavan Brazier poses after winning the Prevagen Men’s 800m final during the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on August 03, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Getty Images
Donovan Brazier’s return to championship racing after a nearly three-year absence from the professional circuit was a story worth monitoring all weekend long.
Because often, time doesn’t stop for track and field athletes–on the contrary, it will simply pass them by. So it was certainly a fair question to ask how Brazier would fare, considering the 28-year-old had just three races under his belt and needed to perform over three rounds to secure his spot back on the U.S. team.
Early on, Brazier proved he was ready, submitting a semifinal performance of 1:44.39. By the finishing moments of the men’s 800-meter final, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the compassion and support he was given when he not only qualified but won in 1:42.16, finding redemption for years gone by.
Brazier had last competed in the World Championships in 2022 by virtue of his win in 2019, failing to advance out of the heats. On Sunday, his effort was the third-best time in U.S. history and secured him his first bid to a World Championship since 2019, when he last won an international title and was slated to become the sport’s “next best middle-distance runner.”
Things didn’t exactly happen that way. But after transitioning to a new voice in former NAU coach Mike Smith, appointed as one of three Nike Swoosh Track Club coaches in February, and performing well in the lead-up to USAs – which included two efforts under 1:44 at the Portland Track Festival and the London Diamond League – Brazier is now on the road back to stardom.
What a story he has been.EUGENE, OREGON – AUGUST 03: Silver medalist Cooper Lutkenhaus poses after finishing second in the Prevagen Men’s 800m final during the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on August 03, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Getty Images
16-Year-Old Cooper Lutkenhaus Qualifies For The World Championships, Runs Under-18 World Record
We aren’t done with the men’s 800-meter final. In the final straightaway, jaws dropped when 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus began eating up ground–and tying some of the best half-milers in the world
The Texan from Justin Northwest High School eventually passed returning Olympian Brandon Miller, world champion Josh Hoey and Olympic 800-meter fourth-place finisher Bryce Hoppel en route to a second-place finish, scoring a mind-numbing time of 1:42.27.
Behind Brazier, it was the fourth-best effort in U.S. history and a new under-18 record.
Lutkenhaus’ previous best effort was 1:45.45–mind you, a time which was earned in a high school race. In fact, Lutkenhaus himself is only entering his junior year in the fall.
He commented afterward that he was using “middle school tactics,” and that he had only seriously focused on track and field in his freshman year of high school – ostensibly a year ago.
No American teenager in history had ever accomplished what the 16-year-old did on that stage in the 800-meters. Even more impressive, however, was the way he accomplished the feat, with nearly even splits in 50.66 and 51.61 seconds.
Quincy Wilson, the 17-year-old star who reached the Olympics in 2024, is perhaps the only other male teenager who’s accomplished a similar feat in the men’s 400 meters – whereas Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reached the Olympics at 17 in 2016. But even Wilson struggled over the weekend, failing to reach the men’s 400-meter final.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Goes Unbeaten At The USATF Outdoor ChampionshipsEUGENE, OREGON – AUGUST 01: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in the Nike Women’s 100m final during the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on August 01, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)Getty Images
Seasons like the one Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is having are rare.
The 24-year-old sprinter from South Carolina has lost just once all season in an individual race and was unbeaten at 100 meters going into the USATF Outdoor Championships.
By Sunday’s end, she had only reaffirmed that position, securing not just one but two national titles, including an impressive outing in the 200 meters which saw Jefferson-Wooden run away from the field in 21.84 seconds. The performance was the world’s No. 2 time.
In doing so, however, Jefferson-Wooden also outclassed defending Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, who had to settle for third in 22.20.
Meanwhile, Jefferson-Wooden on Friday posted her first win at USAs in the women’s 100 meters, clocking a time of 10.65 that tied for the fifth-best performance in U.S. history.
The U.S. star is on pace for a spectacular World Championships, which could see her potentially chase after a sprint triple. The only question remaining, then, is where the U.S. coaching staff will place Jefferson-Wooden in the 4×100, where she is also expected to star in Tokyo.
Jefferson-Wooden will also have to contend with Olympic 100 meter champion Julian Alfred, whom she beat at the Prefontaine Classic in May, along with reigning 2023 world champion and Olympic silver medalist Sha’Carri Richardson, who has struggled so far this season.
Shelby Houlihan Returns After 4-Year Ban And Qualifies For Worlds
Four years is a long time to wait.
And yet, by the time Shelby Houlihan was back on the U.S. circuit in February following a 4-year doping ban, it was as if time had never slipped by.
The 32-year-old Houlihan was as sharp as ever, qualifying for a world indoor team that same month at USA Indoors. She then claimed a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China the following month in the women’s 3,000 meters.
On Sunday at Hayward Field, Houlihan followed up her impressive return to the track with her second qualifying run in the women’s 5,000 meters, winning in 15:13.61. Houlihan closed her final 1,000 meters in 2:41.77, showing the kind of speed that’s necessary to compete at an international level.
It marked her first national outdoor title since 2019 and her first outright win since indoors in 2020.
Noah Lyles’ And Kenny Bednarek’s Spat In The Men’s 200-Meter Final
The biggest domestic – and/or global – story to follow the U.S. Outdoor Championships, however, was an action made just after the men’s 200-meter final, when Kenny Bednarek shoved Noah Lyles moments after his victory in 19.63 seconds.
It was the push seen round the world. A beef we didn’t quite understand but surely now realized was there.
In the final meters, Lyles turned to Bednarek and issued a staredown not unlike one you would see at WWE Smackdown. Bednarek, who had won the men’s 100-meter final on Friday in a personal best 9.79 seconds, wasn’t pleased with the action and pushed Lyles just seconds later.
The two exchanged barbs a moment later, and then that discussion followed in the post-race interview with NBC’s Lewis Johnson.
Afterward, Lyles declined to comment on the encounter in the mixed zone, citing his coach’s advice. But Bednarek did not mince words.
“I’ve said it for years, Noah is going to be Noah. If he wants to tear me down, that’s fine. But I ran five rounds. He’s fresh. He can line up again and we’ll go fresh and we’ll see what happens,” Bednarek said. “I’m very confident I can beat him. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Both are expected to contend for world titles in both the 100- and 200-meters in Tokyo. Both could also, feasibly, team together in the 4×100.
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